La enseñanza situada del Inglés desde la pedagogía

del postmétodo
Módulo 1
Getting started

Introduction

Welcome to this virtual course on the importance of the interrelationship between

theory and practice in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language.

The field of language teaching has undergone significant changes over the past few
decades. Traditional methods of language teaching have been increasingly questioned
for their effectiveness in promoting communicative competence and language
proficiency. This has led to the emergence of alternative approaches, such as
task-based language teaching, content and language integrated learning, and the
communicative approach.

It is in this context that the Curricular Designs for Primary and Secondary Education
in the Province of Buenos Aires prescribe the teaching of English as a language of
international communication based on the communicative approach including task
based learning, problem solving and project planning with a situated and
contextualized look, thinking of students as citizens of a a global world in the 21st
century.

This 6-week course was thought of as a space in which through collaboration,

reflection and debate, we will explore the theoretical foundations of our teaching
practices and their practical implications in order to be able to make informed
decisions about teaching materials and strategies to be used in our lessons.

Objectives

● To become familiar with the virtual learning environment.

● To participate in an introductory forum.
● To revisit core ideas of what it means to be a 21st century teacher of English as
a Foreign Language in the province of Buenos Aires.

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 Contents

Enseñanza de Inglés como Lengua Extranjera (EFL) en el siglo 21: Complejidad de los
procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Pedagogía crítica - Interculturalidad - Docente
como facilitador - Docente como investigador.

Let’s start!

So, first things first. In order to get your feet wet we invite you to identify the
different sections of our virtual classroom, explore the resources and answer the
initial survey for this course.

Where do we stand?

We know that language teaching and learning are complex and dynamic processes
that cannot be reduced to a set of prescribed methods or techniques. As teachers of
English working in the province of Buenos Aires we need to recognize the importance
of context, culture, and individual learners’ needs in shaping the language learning
process.

At the heart of our teaching practices today should be the notion of critical
pedagogy, which emphasizes the importance of empowering learners to become
critical thinkers and agents of change. Critical pedagogy is grounded in the belief that
education should not be a tool for reproducing existing social hierarchies and
inequalities, but rather a means of promoting social justice and equity. In the context
of language teaching, critical pedagogy seeks to create a learning environment that is
responsive to the needs and experiences of learners and that encourages them to
challenge dominant discourses and power structures.

In order to prepare students to cope with the challenges of 21st century fluid and
global contemporary societies, English classes should aim at developing learners’
intercultural competence, which refers to their ability to communicate effectively and
appropriately across cultures. Intercultural competence is essential for successful
communication in today’s globalized world, where individuals from different cultural
backgrounds interact on a daily basis.

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 To that aim, one of the key principles of teaching a language is to develop an attitude
of teacher as facilitator, rather than transmitter of knowledge. In a language
classroom, the teacher’s role is not to impose their own views or beliefs on learners,
but rather to create a learning environment that encourages learners to explore,
question, and challenge their own assumptions and beliefs. This approach requires
teachers to be flexible and responsive to learners’ needs and interests, and to be
willing to adapt their teaching practices in response to changing circumstances.

But how do we realize what to adapt or modify in our teaching practices? Well, apart
from being a facilitator we should start considering ourselves "teachers as
researchers." This means that teachers are encouraged to engage in ongoing inquiry
into their own teaching practices and to use the findings of their research to inform
their teaching. This is in contrast to the traditional view of the teacher as the expert
who imparts knowledge to passive learners. In 21st century teaching contexts,
teachers are seen as active participants in the learning process, who collaborate with
learners to co-construct knowledge.

We invite you to watch a fragment (from minute 1.07 to 17.21) of one of Prof. Suresh
Canagarajah’s webinars and reflect on the questions below. You might want to
start your e-portfolio and write down your thoughts about the answers to the
questions. Keep them handy for future reference (you’ll need them for your final
task).

https://www.youtube.com/live/dw_SN-6aNUg?feature=share&t=69

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 THINK
1. What kind of teacher does Suresh Canagarajah seem to be?
2. What ideas and concepts do the “traffic light” paradox and the “arrow”
paradox illustrate and support?
3. How do Suresh Canagarajah’s arguments challenge your own teaching
practices?

Critical Thinking and Language Teaching

Reflecting on our teaching practices is a first step in becoming aware of how we can
generate knowledge from our understanding of the different contexts within which
we interact with colleagues and learners. Here are some questions we could ask
ourselves in order to ponder on our current teaching practices and consider how we
might incorporate methodological ideas and procedures to suit the local conditions of
our context and our students’ needs:

1. How do you currently plan your lessons? Do you consider the cultural and
linguistic backgrounds of your learners when designing materials and
activities?
2. How do you assess your learners? Do you use a variety of assessment
methods that take into account different learning styles and contexts?
3. How do you interact with your learners in the classroom? Do you see yourself
as an expert who imparts knowledge, or do you see yourself as a facilitator
who collaborates with learners to co-construct knowledge?
4. How do you respond to learner errors and mistakes? Do you see errors as
opportunities for learning, or do you view them as a sign of failure?
5. How do you incorporate technology into your teaching? Do you use
technology to enhance learner engagement and interaction, or do you see it as
a distraction?
6. How do you promote critical language awareness in your learners? Do you
help them understand the social and political dimensions of language use, and
the power dynamics that underlie language use in different contexts?
7. How do you reflect on your teaching practices? Do you engage in ongoing
critical reflection, and use the findings of your research to inform your
teaching?

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 We strongly believe that by asking these types of questions, teachers become more
aware of the importance of adopting a responsive and context-sensitive approach to
teaching, and can ultimately lead to more effective language learning outcomes for
learners.

Read the following extract. Keep the main ideas in mind for next modules, especially
module 3, where we are going to read about action research..

Within the post-method era (Kumaravadivelu 2001) increasing emphasis has

been given to the centrality of teacher agency in the development of
contextually appropriate forms of pedagogy. To help practitioners take on a
more central role in language education, Kumaravadivelu (ibid) proposes three
pedagogic parameters—particularity, practicality and possibility—which he
believes can reorient language pedagogy. The pedagogy of particularity aims
at making practitioners aware of the specific backgrounds and needs of their
learners and to engage in a continual cycle of observation, reflection and
action as a prerequisite for the development of context-sensitive pedagogical
knowledge. The pedagogy of practicality empowers teachers to ‘theorize from
their practice and practice what they theorize’ (Kumaravadivelu 2006: 59)
because ‘no theory of practice can be useful and usable unless it is generated
through practice… it is the practicing teacher who, given adequate tools for
exploration, is best suited to produce such a practical theory’ (2001: 541). The
pedagogy of possibility links language teaching and social transformation by
drawing from ‘the sociopolitical consciousness that students bring with them
to the classroom’ (Kumaravadivelu 2006: 59). Proponents of
context-appropriate methodology (e.g., Bax 2003; Holliday 1994; Kao et al.
2013; Rubdy 2008) have argued that pedagogic approaches should emerge
from the affordances of the teaching environment as opposed to being
imposed on teachers by policy makers. This is because there is evidence in the
ELT literature (e.g., Holliday 1992; Wedell and Grassick Forthcoming) that
pedagogic practices which are imposed on practitioners with no prior
consideration of their beliefs and current practices tend to be resisted.

Underlying the foregoing perspectives is the perception of practitioners as

active sense makers capable of generating knowledge from their
understanding of the different contexts within which they interact with

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 colleagues and learners. Studies which have examined the relationship
between classroom challenges and student achievement (e.g., Buckingham
2003; Shamim 2012; Staasz and Stecher 2000; Stecher and Bohrnstedt 2000)
suggest that it might be more beneficial to focus on the quality of teaching,
rather than on classroom circumstances. Imposing on practitioners
methodological ideas and procedures which are not determined by the local
conditions of the context in which they work might not be a realistic way of
dealing with difficult circumstances (Bax 2003; Maley 2001; Wedell and
Grassick Forthcoming). This is more justified when we consider that teachers
are at the interface between curriculum demands, classroom realities and
student learning and as such are often called upon to take on the
spur-of-the-moment decisions in the teaching-learning process to adjust to
emerging challenges.

Accounts, by practitioners themselves and researchers (see, e.g., Amritavalli

2007; Khadka 2015; Kuchah and Smith 2011; Smith et al. 2012 as well as the
work of members of the TELC research and teacher development network,
http://telcnet.weebly.com), draw attention to the importance of contextually
generated pedagogic practices, materials and resources and the role of
student autonomy in ensuring successful learning in difficult circumstances
(see also Guatam and Sarwar, Chap. 5 in this volume). What is more, they
highlight the important roles of teacher motivation, agency and resilience in
difficult circumstances, themes respectively covered and extended in the
studies by Khurram (Chap. 4), Tyers and Lightfoot (Chap. 6), Banegas (Chap.
7), Alyasin (Chap. 8) and Hillyard (Chap. 9) reported in this volume. These
studies offer systematic intervention and/or research-based responses to calls
for evidence of the contextual appropriateness of responsive pedagogic
practices and resources (Shamim 2012; Shamim and Kuchah 2016; Smith 2011).
They also showcase the value of bottom-up classroom/practitioner-based
inquiry into the role of teachers in generating insights of value that can be
shared with others (Smith 2015; Smith and Kuchah 2016). Given that difficult
circumstances are contextually defined and as a result cannot simply be
addressed by pedagogic practices imported from otherwise privileged
resource rich contexts, this kind of research might better describe ‘good
practices’ or ‘appropriate methodologies’ for difficult circumstances.

(K. Kuchah 2018:9)

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 Wrapping up

It is important to note that implementing informed changes in the classroom is not a

straightforward process. It requires a significant shift in the way that we, as teachers,
approach language teaching and learning. It also requires a willingness to engage in
ongoing critical reflection on teaching practices and to be open to new ideas and
approaches.

However, the potential benefits of being an empowered and conscientious teacher

are significant. By adopting a more responsive and context-sensitive approach to
teaching, we can better meet the needs of our learners and promote more effective
language learning. By promoting critical language awareness, we can also help
learners to become more engaged and active participants in the wider social and
political contexts in which they use language.

In conclusion, we hope that this course will provide you with room and resources to
develop - together with your peers and colleagues - solid theoretical foundation and
practical strategies for implementing the necessary changes in your lessons. We
believe that an eclectic approach based on - paraphrasing Kumaravadivelu:
theorizing our practice and practicing what we theorize’ - has the potential to make a
significant positive impact on language teaching and learning, and we look forward
to exploring this with you in the coming weeks.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT

For the final assignment you should develop a teaching portfolio that
demonstrates your understanding of the principles of postmethod pedagogy and
your ability to apply these principles in your own teaching practice.

The portfolio should include the following components:

1. Philosophy of teaching: A written statement that outlines your philosophy

of teaching English in primary or secondary schools in the province of Buenos
Aires English in the 21st century, and how this philosophy is informed by the
principles and ideas dealt with during the course.
2. A short lesson plan (one or two tasks): A set of lesson plans that

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 demonstrate your ability to design materials and activities that are culturally
and linguistically responsive, include differentiated teaching and incorporate
technology in meaningful ways.
3. Assessment materials: A set of assessment materials that demonstrate your
ability to use a range of assessment methods that take into account different
learning styles and contexts.
4. Reflections on practice: A set of reflective commentaries that demonstrate
your ability to critically reflect on your teaching practice, and to use the findings
of your research to inform your teaching.

IMPORTANT: Points 1 to 3 should be written in WORD or PDF document and

handed in the corresponding space as established in the Working Schedule (Plan de
Trabajo).

Point 4 should be handed in using a multimodal text. It could be a podcast, a brief

video, etc. of no more than 2 /3 minutes in length.

Assessment criteria:

● Reflection of cohesion and coherence in the development of ideas based on

the approaches prescribed in the Curriculum Designs for Primary and
Secondary levels.
● Clarity and attention to conventions in written expression and layout.
● Production quality and originality of the final production..
● Use of problem solving strategies.
● Appropriation of theoretical and practical frameworks that account for the
pedagogical knowledge built, individually or collaboratively, throughout the
course.

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 REFERENCES

Kuchah, K., & Shamim, F. (Eds.) (2018). International Perspectives on Teaching English in
Difficult Circumstances: Contexts, Challenges and possibilities. (International
Perspectives on English Language Teaching). Palgrave Macmillan.
https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53104-9

Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond methods. Macrostrategies for language learning.

New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Chapter 2, pages 23-44.

Porto, M. (2022). Critical Language Education. In: Porto, M. (eds) From Critical Literacy to
Critical Pedagogy in English Language Teaching. English Language Education, vol 23.
Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5780-1_2

Teacher Development Webinars (17th August 2021)- Suresh Canagarajah - Negotiating

Language Norms: Teachers Learning from Students [Archivo de video] Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/dw_SN-6aNUg?feature=share

Licencia Creative Commons

Autor(es): Equipo de la Dirección de Formación Docente Permanente. Dirección

Provincial de Educación Superior, DGCyE. Provincia de Buenos Aires (2023)

Esta obra está bajo una licencia Creative Commons

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